Cable Programmers: We Must Adapt

By R. THOMAS UMSTEAD -- Multichannel News, 6/20/2011 12:01:00 AM

Chicago — The cable “cord-cutting” phenomenon is overrated, according to several cable executives speaking at last week’s Cable Show, but the industry still has to find ways to deliver and monetize content on alternative platforms to keep younger viewers engaged in cable TV services.

Mike Hopkins, president of affiliate sales and marketing for Fox Networks, said that cable is in a good position today, as more people are watching television than ever before, but the industry needs to transition into delivering content to other platforms to maintain favor with younger viewers who are watching more content on tablets, iPhones and other mobile devices.

“We just have to make sure the ecosystem we’re in survives and grows. We’re doing a good job of getting people to watch our shows. We just have to continue to build that out and build it out and find ways to monetize the content,” he said.

While young people will pay for high-speed broadband access, NBCUniversal president of TV networks distribution Bridget Baker said it’s less certain whether they’ll automatically ante up for traditional cable service. She referenced an informal survey she conducted with several young NBC staffers in which the vast majority said they found out about Osama Bin Laden’s death via Facebook or Twitter and not the traditional news channels.

“It’s not a question of whether [young people] will cut the cord of cable or even shave it. The question becomes … when [do they] ever subscribe to cable?” Baker said during the Wednesday panel session.

Added Turner Network Sales chief operating officer Coleman Breland: “You have to adapt to what they’re doing on tablets, mobile phones and PCs. You have to find a way to get the content to them and pull them into the ecosystem and support it.”